DAY3
First actual day of the tour and we're up at 5:00 a.m. with our first European continental breakfast. Not the best, but definitely not the worst.
We were headed to the ferry that would take us to Mykonos. We were returning to the current hotel in two days so most of us packed a smaller bag, threw our overweight luggage in a storage room and hit the bus. This would soon become a much smoother process as we adjusted quickly to early mornings, fast packing and rushes to the bus.
We make it to the port, (all still very new to each other and this continent) and all we see are cruise ships on top of cruise ships on top of cruise ships. Only they weren't cruise ships at all- they were FERRIES. I need to set some background that I was in NYC earlier this year and rode the Staten Island Ferry which I assumed was the largest in the world but was quickly corrected when I saw these monsters.
These ferries carry freights, cars and people daily from island to island. There are tables and chairs covering the top deck, a bar/cafe and a small restaurant inside that serves burgers and other quick foods.
I must admit, I was just slightly freaked out by this (in my head) Titanic-sized boat. Of course, I'm already a million miles from home in a foreign country so there really isn't much more to stress than that. So I threw on my hypothetical Indiana Jones hat and braced myself for adventure.
The ferry ride was an adventure in itself. We rushed to the top deck claiming the tables and chairs closest to the railing so we could have the best view... Well, I don't know if it was this particular week or if the wind is always so fierce, but it was blowin' like a hurricane. Basically, we got rained on from the wind blowing the freezing water onto the deck. We hung in there with the best of them and stayed huddled together and carried on our conversations.
We were the third of three stops on this particular ferry. Two and a half some odd hours into the ferry ride we pull in the harbor of stop one. The particular city or island name I don't recall. It was magnificent though! Now we finally caught a glimpse of the Greece we'd all been hoping to see. The Mediterranean water is cerulean blue even up into the harbor. Pollution and waste are nowhere in sight. The sun is shining and the sky's clearer than I've ever seen. It's a whole other planet on this side of the world, y'all.
 |
| Selfies are not overrated when you are a million miles from home :) |
So around 1:00 p.m. we finally arrived in MYKONOSSSS! If you've never been here or never intend to (which is just foolish), this is the anthem shouted in the streets by everyone. Tourists or not. We joined in with the others and would continue shouting "Mykonos" at random for the following 30 plus days.
The most detailed descriptions could never do this island justice, but I'll try. Stephen King said never use the word 'indescribable" when writing so here goes...
Never, nor probably will I ever again, see something so breathtaking. This was the Greece we all imagined. The never ending hills hold copious perfectly squared, white, concrete buildings. All are the same design with brightly colored shutters and doors. By law, according to Eirini, Mykonos has a very strict architecture policy to maintain the "look" of the island. Red, blue/turquoise, brown/orange and green are the allowed colors. No joke. And white for painting the cobblestone streets, of course. The upkeep of the white sidewalks are very crucial around here. Walking through town I spotted multiple families touching up the walkways outside their homes or business.
There is a population of 6,000 people throughout the year here until summer arrives and it jolts to 50 or 60 thousand! Obviously a major tourist attraction!
We made our way up the narrow, curvy roads to the gorgeous, Hotel Petinaros- our home for the next two nights.
Already I have forgotten that discouraging moment we all had walking through Athens the previous night. This view alone was worth every penny.
We spent several hours lounging, and continuing to get acquainted, by the lovely pool pictured above. We made our first friend, one crazy Aussie. The first of about 1,000 Australians. Apparently they all go to Greece for holiday, but who could blame 'em.
After working on our tans for several hours we showered up and got ready to go down to town. Yes, down to town. This mile-long hike through town to get to the center near the harbor. Through the tumbleweed and rocky paths we made the most beautiful path I've ever walked.
The narrow cobblestone streets were all trimmed in white complementing the surrounding buildings and made the brightly painted shutters and doors stand out more than they already were.
Walking through the streets felt like a movie. This is not an exaggeration. Something that beautiful simply does not exist in real life. I could post a million pictures and none of them will do justice (that's a unanimous decision we all made day one.)
[The walk.]
We split ways and me and the girls I were with grabbed dinner at Marco Polo. The big thing in Europe is outside dining. Patio tables and chairs always cover the sidewalks and pathways. This may be normal in every other state in America as well, but here in the South there are very few times when outside dining is bearable in the nine months of heat we receive.
Covering the tables were the cliche red and white checkered table clothes. Whichever direction you turned, left or right, all you could see are flowers draping over the balcony windows and the painted cobblestone glowed in the moonlight.
The food = amaze balls.
I fell in love with moussaka (moo-sah-kuh.) The best part about traveling abroad and hitting so many countries is trying all the different foods from each country. Everyone orders something different and you better hope you're not a Germaphobe because forks and plates are passed around for everyone to try. Sharing is caring, when it comes to food.
Along with moussaka, I ordered the lamb. It was a big deal for me to even look at all of these crazy foods because I am extremely picky.
Anyway, after dinner we wandered, by wandered I essentially mean we got lost, back toward the hotel. We hiked the mountainous terrain up to the hotel to put our party dresses on. The thing about the Greeks is they don't start the partying until 2:00 a.m. Dinner is a late in the evening eight or nine o' clock in the evening event followed by the bar and then the club. We were finally ready and caught a cab to Cavo Paradiso, the biggest night club I've ever seen. Apparently there are similar clubs in Costa Rica and other South American cruise stops, but I have certainly never seen such a sight.
The dance floor isn't the largest but there is a pool inside on the lower level, private tables above and the majority of the roof is opened.
We arrived there around 1:00 a.m. and other than our group there were about 10 other people present. By two, the place was packed and there was no where to go but the dance floor...
We've known each other all of 48 hours and already we're dancing together like close, college buddies still living the Thursday night party dream.
After a good buzz Bri and I set back to the hotel around 4:00 a.m. We had to be up at 8:00 to meet the group and catch a ferry to the island of Delos...
The most detailed descriptions could never do this island justice, but I'll try. Stephen King said never use the word 'indescribable" when writing so here goes...
Never, nor probably will I ever again, see something so breathtaking. This was the Greece we all imagined. The never ending hills hold copious perfectly squared, white, concrete buildings. All are the same design with brightly colored shutters and doors. By law, according to Eirini, Mykonos has a very strict architecture policy to maintain the "look" of the island. Red, blue/turquoise, brown/orange and green are the allowed colors. No joke. And white for painting the cobblestone streets, of course. The upkeep of the white sidewalks are very crucial around here. Walking through town I spotted multiple families touching up the walkways outside their homes or business.
There is a population of 6,000 people throughout the year here until summer arrives and it jolts to 50 or 60 thousand! Obviously a major tourist attraction!
We made our way up the narrow, curvy roads to the gorgeous, Hotel Petinaros- our home for the next two nights.
Already I have forgotten that discouraging moment we all had walking through Athens the previous night. This view alone was worth every penny.
We spent several hours lounging, and continuing to get acquainted, by the lovely pool pictured above. We made our first friend, one crazy Aussie. The first of about 1,000 Australians. Apparently they all go to Greece for holiday, but who could blame 'em.
After working on our tans for several hours we showered up and got ready to go down to town. Yes, down to town. This mile-long hike through town to get to the center near the harbor. Through the tumbleweed and rocky paths we made the most beautiful path I've ever walked.
The narrow cobblestone streets were all trimmed in white complementing the surrounding buildings and made the brightly painted shutters and doors stand out more than they already were.
Walking through the streets felt like a movie. This is not an exaggeration. Something that beautiful simply does not exist in real life. I could post a million pictures and none of them will do justice (that's a unanimous decision we all made day one.)
[View from halfway down.]
We split ways and me and the girls I were with grabbed dinner at Marco Polo. The big thing in Europe is outside dining. Patio tables and chairs always cover the sidewalks and pathways. This may be normal in every other state in America as well, but here in the South there are very few times when outside dining is bearable in the nine months of heat we receive.
Covering the tables were the cliche red and white checkered table clothes. Whichever direction you turned, left or right, all you could see are flowers draping over the balcony windows and the painted cobblestone glowed in the moonlight.
The food = amaze balls.
I fell in love with moussaka (moo-sah-kuh.) The best part about traveling abroad and hitting so many countries is trying all the different foods from each country. Everyone orders something different and you better hope you're not a Germaphobe because forks and plates are passed around for everyone to try. Sharing is caring, when it comes to food.
Along with moussaka, I ordered the lamb. It was a big deal for me to even look at all of these crazy foods because I am extremely picky.
Anyway, after dinner we wandered, by wandered I essentially mean we got lost, back toward the hotel. We hiked the mountainous terrain up to the hotel to put our party dresses on. The thing about the Greeks is they don't start the partying until 2:00 a.m. Dinner is a late in the evening eight or nine o' clock in the evening event followed by the bar and then the club. We were finally ready and caught a cab to Cavo Paradiso, the biggest night club I've ever seen. Apparently there are similar clubs in Costa Rica and other South American cruise stops, but I have certainly never seen such a sight.
The dance floor isn't the largest but there is a pool inside on the lower level, private tables above and the majority of the roof is opened.
We arrived there around 1:00 a.m. and other than our group there were about 10 other people present. By two, the place was packed and there was no where to go but the dance floor...
We've known each other all of 48 hours and already we're dancing together like close, college buddies still living the Thursday night party dream.
After a good buzz Bri and I set back to the hotel around 4:00 a.m. We had to be up at 8:00 to meet the group and catch a ferry to the island of Delos...
Left to right: Bri, me, Steph and Nicole - ROOMIES :)
No comments:
Post a Comment